Senior citizen: Variably defined as an elderly or retired person, this term generally refers to someone who is at least 60 or 65 years of age. Some people consider "senior citizen" to be a patronizing term.
Ageing, an inevitable process, is commonly measured by chronological age and, as a convention, a person aged 65 years or more is often referred to as 'elderly'.
“We are a ministry that responsibly enhances the lives of older adults with Christ-like love.” The term older adult along with 55 and better, 55+, retiree, elder or baby boomer tend to be the most acceptable or the most politically correct terms in use at the moment.
Who is Defined as Elderly? Typically, the elderly has been defined as the chronological age of 65 or older. People from 65 to 74 years old are usually considered early elderly, while those over 75 years old are referred to as late elderly.
Australia's older generation (those aged 65 and over) continues to grow in number and as a share of the population. The ageing of the population creates both pressures and opportunities for Australia's health and welfare sectors.
A person between 60 and 69 is called a sexagenarian. A person between 70 and 79 is called a septuagenarian. A person between 80 and 89 is called an octogenarian.
She said that the term "elderly" should be thrown out altogether - the preferred terminology is "seniors" or "older adults." Even many active older Americans don't consider themselves "seniors" at all.
Of course, calling someone old is generally not considered polite, because the word, accurate though it might be, is frequently considered pejorative.
Older adults was the winner and it's the term you hear used most frequently… Seniors was tolerable; likewise for elders. Everything else – golden years, silvered tsunami, geriatrics – all of that, forget about it.”
According to the United States Social Security Administration, anyone age 65 or older is elderly.
As such, being a senior citizen may be based on your age, but it is not a specific age. In general, however, once you turn 55 you start to enter the senior age demographic. By the time you are 65 you reach the most common age for retirement from your job.
The Older Americans Act provides services to people as young as 55 years old. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention defines an “older adult” as someone who is at least 60 years old.
a person who is between 70 and 79 years old is a septuagenarian. a person who is between 80 and 89 years old is an octogenarian. a person who is between 90 and 99 years old is a nonagenarian.
"Boomers," "old people," "senior citizens," "seniors," "elderly," and "golden-agers". These are just a few of the phrases that are commonly used to describe a generation of adults over 65.
Most widely used are “senior citizens,” “retirees,” “the elderly” and “elders.” Many seem to prefer the comfortably familiar term “boomers.” All of these terms are familiar with our aging population, and if used politely, can be embraced.
In slang, the terms “the olds” or “an old” are used to refer to older people/an older person.
Historically, the United Nations has defined an "older" person as anyone 60 years or older, regardless of that person's individual history or where in the world they live.
Although there are different ways to classify this population, some studies have classified elderly adults between the ages of 65 and 74 years as youngest-old, those between ages 75 and 84 years as middle-old, and those aged over 85 years as oldest-old [5].
Your Bones, Joints, and Muscles
Your muscles get weaker, and the tendons -- which connect muscles to your skeleton -- get stiffer. This will decrease your strength and flexibility. In your 70s, you might lose an inch or two off your height as disks in your back flatten.
Older adults need about the same amount of sleep as all adults—7 to 9 hours each night. But, older people tend to go to sleep earlier and get up earlier than they did when they were younger.
Usually, personal hygiene (specifically bathing) is one of those things that gets neglected. So how often should an elderly bathe? To avoid any skin conditions or infections, a senior should bathe at least once or twice a week.
One study distinguishes the young-old (60 to 69), the middle-old (70 to 79), and the very old (80+). Another study's sub-grouping is young-old (65 to 74), middle-old (75 to 84), and oldest-old (85+). A third sub-grouping is young-old (65 to 74), old (74 to 84), and old-old (85+).
Turning 55 is when many people and businesses consider you a senior citizen. At this age, it becomes easier to use your retirement savings to retire early or to cover any other financial needs.